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Stanford Uni 3D-printed centrifuge
The 3D-printed version of Stanford University's centrifuge device
3D printing may be at the heart of a new cost-effective method for lesser developed countries to test for illnesses such as malaria.
Scientists from Stanford University have produced an extremely cheap centrifuge made out of paper and string, which can match the performance of industry-standard extractors. But slight concerns over the durability of the paper and string devices means 3D-printed plastic could be used instead of paper.
During the Stanford University study, researchers created 3D-printed versions with a Formlabs Form 2 machine. These 3D-printed versions were rapidly produced and functioned similarly, though at a lower speed, to the paper and string devices. The scientists working on the study believe this has further opened opportunities to mass-manufacture millions of centrifuges using injection moulding techniques.
Standford University
Stanford Uni centrifuge paper and string
Manu Prakash demonstrating the paperfuge
The paper and string centrifuge was inspired by an old spinning children’s toy called a whirligig. Intrigued by how fast the toy was spinning, Saad Bhamla, a Postdoctoral Scholar at Stanford University, set it up on a high-speed camera. Spinning at 10,000 to 15,000 revolutions per minute, Bhamla deduced it would work as a centrifuge.
“We call it a paperfuge,” said Bhamla. “It’s essentially a piece of paper, and we put it in smaller holders for capillaries that we can fill with blood. And we have standard string and we take two pieces of either PVC pipe or wooden handles and then you can just pull on it gently. As you spin, the disc is rotating back and forth. It’s rotating in an oscillating fashion and there’s a moment when the disc is stationary, and then it starts to unwind and go in the other direction as you apply a force.”
Manu Prakash, a professor of bioengineering at Stanford University, explained the next stages of the process.
“With this set of principles, we’re able to essentially make a centrifuge that spins all the way to 120,000 RPM and 30,000 G forces. In the lab, we can separate and pull out malaria parasites from blood. We can separate filarial, African sleeping sickness, separate blood plasma.”
Stanford University
Stanford University centrifuge
Saad Bhamla with the paper and string centrifuge
After creating the devices, Prakash field-tested the centrifuges in Madagascar. He was assessing just how easy it would be to use the device in practice. Prakash and his colleague are hopeful their innovation will mean even remote areas with little money and electricity could be able to perform basic medical tests.
“We just got back from Madagascar,” Prakash added. “We took the tool out to the field, to work with health workers and we’re starting a clinical validation trial on a larger scale to share it with the community and the health care service providers. It’s a very iterative cycle. There is (around) a billion people around the world that live with absolutely no infrastructure, no roads, no electricity. So for us, the inspiration is to make the simplest possible tools that do the job well, such that you can get them distributed around the world.”
Whether the Stanford University-made centrifuges end up being distributed as paper and wire tools, or devices made from 3D printing remains to be seen – the researchers’ options remain open. But, their study certainly seems to have opened up a cheaper alternative for medical testing in underprivileged areas of the world.
